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In all other cases the assets were eventually taken
in charge by the Bankers' Association or some Chinese
committee of management without any reference to British
law or objection from interested parties. In Hankow
the responsible members of the staff of the National
Commercial and Savings Bank Limited disappeared with
the excention of the Accountant, a Chinese, who appealed
to His Majesty's Consul-General for the protection of
the assets.
In reply to Mr. Moss' enquiry I informed
him, as i was bound to do that winding up proceedings
must be under the control of His Majesty's Supreme
Court and that he should assist the branch in resisting
any attempt on the part of the Chinese Authorities to
attach the assets. Such an attempt was in fact made
I immed-
and in order to avoid an undignified wrangle the premises
were by mutual agreement sealed both by His Majesty's
Consul-General and by the Mayor pending a diplomatic
settlement of the question of jurisdiction.
iately addressed a Note to the Minister for Foreign
Affairs requesting him, in view of the Bank's British
nationality, to cause immediate steps to be taken to
have the Chinese Court's seals removed from the premises.
This crossed a memorandum from the Wai Chiao Pu to my-
self calling attention to the fact that a number of
banks having their head offices in Hongkong and branches
in China had suspended payment with unfortunate resulta
to creditors, the majority of whom were Chinese, and
/suggesting